Crate



\ March 20, 1945. J. H, w'QoDBERRY x-:TAL V 2,371,653

CRATE Filed Jan. 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2` v JDHN HVDUDBEERY, EEUREE B RUSEELL,

Patented Mar. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES forfupcr:.N

' l A i tenista-"- i l LCRATE' t t i John H. Woodberry andy George B2 Russell, v i JMetchengNgJ.

Application January'bllQlS,SerilfNorTilI 1 4 claims.-` (01. arresti ("Granted'under theact of.: Mar-bh. 31883545 amended AprilSU, li928; 370 G. 57)

The invention described herein may be man-u factui'ed and used by'or forthe'Govern'ment for governmental vpurposes"without-`the payment to of' ammunition of cylidri'calform', forA example 'n'it'ion'g bombs and the like.`

""A further' object ofthe invention isftoprovide a crate highly suitable for usen in shipping ammu ammunitionforfartillery, trench' mortar ammu;

nition which has'beeri enclosed in cylindricalv f tubes or containers. Such `containers are usually grouped or clustered iniunits of three and held together by two end plates'of cloverleaf shape; one end plate being `placed; at'each end of the group. The `cloverleaf end platesA t over the` ends oit the containers, and a `bolt vwhich" passesv from thecenter of oneend plate tov the center of the other holdsthe two* end plates and the three containers together asajur'lit. The'crate of the present invention'isparticularly ysuitable for use inlshipping' thsecluster's'. l y v "A further object of the invention is the provisien of` a crate' or the character iridi'catedwhch cari be' built up very'sirhply from preformed parte oijuriits, which to their'shape and nesting 1'oss'ibilities` occupy far less space nfstorage and transportation than the assembled crate or'than ,the` componentv parts of Iany known crates in a state of disassembly. f l l Referring to the accompanying drawings illustratingan embodiment i of the invention and in which `the sarnereferencefnumeral indicates the same or corresponding parts in the several views, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the cratein assembled condition, but shown empty to better illustrate its construction. i

Fig. 2 is an end view at either end of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3-3 i Figure 5 is an exploded view in perspective illusz trating the trough-like members separated from the hexagonal end pieces of the crate,

the other end of the crate. 5o

ber-of end piecesof' theoratemay be stacked in` storage orin shipment to points of asserribly.`

Figure 7 illustrates'in crossesection how a num-v bert of trou/ghafl'ikemembersfmay be" stacked in storage or in shipment to:` poiritsf of assembly.

"The" crate of the present inventioncomprises four' end portions"VVV 2" of 'the samev sizel and shape.

'These' end portions maybe made of lumberor of l arly other` suitable `lnfaterial. Thethickness Of tl'ijese four ericl 4portions`-'may'be dierent, but it ispreierred that they all be of the same thickness.

l The" shape Voff the ends' 2* maybe defined in several` ways. Referring to' Fig. 2,I the shape of the ends' 2 may be regard-ed as an Aeduila'teraltrianglel from which the three vertices have been cut off along lines drawnparallel` tof the side opposite eachvertex andV Ieduidistantinwardly `from each vertex; `-Thisresu1ts in -three' blunt Vcorners one hundred andl twenty `degrees apart. "Bearing in mind the `thickness ofeach end portion 2`,`, 'ea`ch of theseblunt-cornersis lformed by three surfaces, two of; Whichmeetfthe thirdat arr angle of one hunder and twentydeg'rees'f i The' shape oferids l 2 "may be "viewed in another way'. It may Ibe considered asaihexagon-having substantially equal anglesAV between its sides with three substantially equal sides ofrone-` length,

t three substantially equal `sides of ka shorter length,

andthe shorter sides alternatin'gwith Vthe other sides around the periphery ofthehexagonjor end portion. l A

In assembly ofthe crate,A two contiguous portions` 2 'are used toA form each of thetwo ends of the fcrate' as may bejseeniri'Figures 1, 3 andi, and the direction of the'grainv of the `wood in "one ,of` the contiguous` end portions isfpreferably placed at an angle' `of sixty tol ninety degrees with the -direction of the grain in the other. The two contiguous end portions 2 at each end of the crate are so positioned with reference to each other that the short and long edges on one respectively register 'with the short and long edges on the other. The two ends so constituted are spaced apart, accordingto the size of the crate desired, with their hexagonal planes substantially per pendicular to a line joining their centers and with the short and long sides ofthe hexagon of one end of the crate directly opposite like sides on In other words, the blunt corners referred to above are directly opposite each other in the assembly.

Another 4element of the crate consists of` a trough or trough-like member, three of which are present in the assembled crate. Each of the Figure 6 illustrates in perspective how a num- 55 .troughs or trough-like members is formed of` wood side boards 4 and 5 and wood bottom board 6, as shown in Figures 2, 4, and 7. Side boards 4 and 5 would meet at an angle of sixty degrees if they were extended to meet. Side boards 4 and 5 of each trough meet bottom board 6 at an angle of one hundred and twenty degrees or thereabouts. The bottom 6 of each trough is bevelled along its two longer edges to fit between the sides 4 and 5 of the trough, and the two sides of the trough are also bevelled along the edge nearer the bottom 6 so as to be flush with the outside of the bottom. Sides 4 and 5 are secured to bottom 6 by nails 8 passing through sides 4 and 5 into bottom 6. It is to be noted that the three troughs are so shaped as to fit over the blunt corners of the end portions 2 of the crate as shown in Figs. l, 2, 4 and 5. Side walls 4 and 5 and bottom wall 6 of the said troughs function as slatsbetween the two ends of the crate. The troughs'may be preformed and thereafter assembled with end portions in building the crates k(see Fig. 5). Owing to their shape, the troughs may be nested in storage or shipment, as shown in Fig. '7.

In the assembly ofthe crate (see Figs. l and 5) two pairs of end portions 2 are spaced apart as above described. The bottom 6 of each trough fits over and passes from a shorter side of each hexagonal end to and over the shorter side of the hexagonal end which is spaced therefrom and directly opposite; and each of sides 4 and 5 ts over and passes from a longer side of each hexagonal end to and over the longer side of the hexagonal end directly opposite. The width of sides 4 and 5 is such that when they are joined with the ends of the crate, three spaces 1 (see Figs. Zand 3) will be provided between them. Slats 4 and 5, i. e., the side walls of the trough, and slats 6, i. e., the bottoms of the troughs are secureclby nails 9 to each ofthe two end portions 2 at each end of the crate.

In Figures 3 and 4 a cluster of three cylindrical containers for artillery ammunition is shown en- .closed by the crate. This cluster consists of three the crate nt against their tops. steel bands or straps I1 may be placed around the crate.

We claim:

1. A crate comprising spaced enclosing portions and three spaced trough-like members extending from one of said enclosing portions to the other of said enclosing portions and defining an enclosure therewith, each of said trough-like members consisting of two side walls and a botttom, the said side walls meeting said bottom at an angle of substantially one hundred and twenty degrees.

2. A crate comprising spaced enclosing portions and three spaced trough-like members extending from one of said enclosing portions to the other of said enclosing portions and defining an enclosure therewith, each of said trough-like members consisting of two side walls and a botof the containers, and a bolt I2 with wing nut I3. y The bolt I2 `passes through the two cloverleaf end tom, the said bottom fitting between said side walls and forming an angle of substantially one and twenty degrees with them.

`3. A crate comprising two ends each of the shape of a hexagonhaving substantially equal angles between its sides, three substantially equal sides of one length, and three substantially equal sides of a shorter length, the said shorter sides alternating with the other sides around the periphery of each end, said ends being spaced apart with their polygonal planes substantially perpendicular to a line joining their centers and the said shorter sides of the ends being opposite each other; and three trough-like members, each of which ts over a shorter side of one end and over the two sides adjacent said shorter side and extends to and lits over the opposite shorter side on the other end and over the two sides adjacent said last mentioned shorter side.

4. A crate comprising two ends each of the shape of a hexagon having substantially equal angles between its sides, three substantially equal sides of one length, and three substantially equal sides of a shorter length, the said shorter sides alternating with the other sides around the periphery of each end, the said ends being spaced apart with their polygonal planes substantially perpendicular to aline joining their centers and the said shorter sides of the ends being opposite each other; and three trough-like members, each of which fits over a shorter side of one end portion and over only a part of yboth of the two sides adjacent said shorter side and. extends to and ts over the opposite shorter side on theother end portion and over only a part of both of the two sides adjacent said last mentioned shorter side.

JOHN I-I. WOODBERRY. GEORGE B. RUSSELL. 

